I like how you use everything you can find around the house like the old fan palm leaves on top of the bar. Several years ago I used fresh palm leaves on top of my tiki bar which is outside in the garden. As the leaves dried they draped over the edges of the roof of the bar very nicely and I just kept on adding more and more. I used different palm leaves from several trees and shrubs I had in the garden. It looked very authentic and attractive for home made thatching. Nice progression pictures.

Hale Tiki - A rum brand would look really cool you are right! I was going to put some kind of logo on the side, but I didn't even think of a brand! Also Space Balls was always one of my favorite movies. I can watch it everyday and not get sick of it. I feel like I have seen it more times than I've seen Star Wars.

Hiltiki - Yes, I think that the fan palm fronds work well as a thatch. I dried them out in my backyard for a couple months, flipping them over occasionally. Then I chopped off the stems and threw them up on the roof. I guess I have a never-ending supply so if these go bad I can replace them quickly and easily. It is the only palm in my yard, but since I have been trimming it, it has grown 3 times its original size. It has little stringybits that hang down now and it looks cool. I think the longer they stay up the better they will look.

It has been a month since my last bar update. I wasn't slacking, I am still in the middle of a big project. It has taken a month at this point, and it is still not finished. As soon as it is I will start posting more often.

So I though that I would give a few updates on other things happening in my bar.
My friends are starting to get into the spirit of things. Lots more mugs on my friends shelf.
Got this bookshelf at the International Tiki Marketplace from Smokintikis for only $10!!! I had to fix the top shelf though cause my BOT wouldn't fit originally.
Got this Tikipops lamp as well. I really like this one and I am glad no one beat me to it. Thanks Pops! Also I got 3 of these little blowfish lamps from Tikivato. He is a great guy and his prices can't be beat!
Got this cool tiki from Skootiki. He has a nice new home now.

So I have been working on my bar top basically this whole year so far. When I started I didn't realize how much time it would take and how much it would cost. Turns out it cost a lot more than I thought!

I started by framing in the bar top. I went down to the beach and grabbed some sand. I sprinkled a thin layer over the top of my bar as seen below.
I then added some shells, coral and swizzle sticks and other cool items and set them out to where I liked them to be.
Then I started to pour epoxy glaze all over the shells. I had to coat it like 20 times to get to the desired level. Since I started in the winter, it took forever to dry as well.
After 3 months it seemed dry enough (after leaving a heater in front of it for a week). So I took off the barriers. I like the way it turned out! It looks really cool, like real water!
I still need to finish the trim, but I am working on something really cool for that purpose right now.
Also decided it looked cooler to burn the knots in the bamboo.

Does anyone know or has anyone else done their bar with epoxy? I am wondering the best way to clean it and the best way to keep the scratches off? Thanks!

Also, we are having the Grand Opening May 11th. You are all invited and I hope some of you will be able to make it! Kalua pig and lots of free drinks (not free for me). But we will have different food and drinks, hopefully everyone can get something that they like. My wife is a vegitarian, so there will be some meat free items as well.

So mark it on your calendar! I will put it in the events section when it gets closer. Located in San Diego - PM me if you would like the address and you think that you will be able to attend! WE are thinking around 4 PM for the start time so that we can go into the night and show off our lighting as well.

On 2013-04-03 16:06, lunavideogames wrote:Does anyone know or has anyone else done their bar with epoxy? I am wondering the best way to clean it and the best way to keep the scratches off? Thanks!

I did my bartop with clear marine epoxy, and it cured in about 48 hours. Not sure why yours took 3 months, that seems pretty excessive, but it might have had something to do with mixing it in small amounts and applying it in thin coats. If you mix up a larger batch, the chemical reaction with the hardener generates more heat and causes it to cure faster. You should also apply it in a layer about 1/8"-1/4" thick.

Soap and water is the best cleaner. Don't use anything alcohol- or bleach-based, as it will soften and possibly dissolve the epoxy. You can remove light abrasions with a oil-based furniture polish, like Old English. Heavier scratches may require wet/dry sanding with 650-grit sandpaper, followed by an application of furniture polish.

Thanks MrBaliHai! I will do that. So far I just cleaned it with water, so I will use dish soap as well from now on. I will look around for some sandpaper over 400. Would a buffer or something work as well?

Yeah, it did have a lot to do with coating it in layers, and my desire to have it perfect before I touched it. I really didn't know how much I was going to use so I had to keep going to the store to buy more. I had to wait 5-7 hours to apply each next layer, which sometimes turned into a day or two. And the 5-7 hours was at 70-80 degree temp, which in SD in January in a garage, was not the case.